Overcome Appointment Scheduling

[LeeFisher3]

One of our members has been informed that the soonest an appointment is available is in approximately 2 months. This seems a bit odd as I am sure the IV is aware that many beneficiaries must travel a great distance within China to be able to submit the information.

 

I hope you can help us understand the process involved, it just seems like waiting 2 months to submit one or two items to clarify a question asked by a VO seems excessive.

 

Thanks

[USCONGUZ]

We update our overcome scheduling availability on a monthly basis, so occasionally slots might "fill up" before we replenish the supply. Our overcome wait right now for most types of IV unit visas is 10 calendar days.

 

For overcome scheduling, please try calling back regularly if you discover that the wait is longer than a month.

[jean-charles]

Hi USCONGUZ,

First thank you for helping us in clarifying things here, you are a big help.

 

I wanted to ask a similar question and did a search and found this topic so I think it will be better to add to it.

 

When this question was previously asked it was August 2006. Now in January 2007 it seems that the waiting process for an appointment is now about 3 Month and that when applicants call they even are sometime told that there are no more appointment available all together.

 

 

 

This raises the following question:

- Is it possible to retain an attorney in GUZ after receiving a blue slip and thus ask him to deliver the requested evidences?

- Can this attorney then in turn receives the Visa for the applicant?

- Can this attorney be anyone with a standard DHS power of attorney?

 

Thanks for your help

[SirLancelot]

Hello USCONGUZ,

 

Along the same line, is it ok to EMS the overcome documents/evidence back to GUZ instead of appearing in person at GUZ to submit the overcome documents? The time and cost for multiple trips to GUZ may be prohibitive for some. Could you explain why it's necessary to appear in person to submit the documents rather than submitting it in via EMS?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi USCONGUZ,

First thank you for helping us in clarifying things here, you are a big help.

 

I wanted to ask a similar question and did a search and found this topic so I think it will be better to add to it.

 

When this question was previously asked it was August 2006. Now in January 2007 it seems that the waiting process for an appointment is now about 3 Month and that when applicants call they even are sometime told that there are no more appointment available all together.

 

 

 

This raises the following question:

- Is it possible to retain an attorney in GUZ after receiving a blue slip and thus ask him to deliver the requested evidences?

- Can this attorney then in turn receives the Visa for the applicant?

- Can this attorney be anyone with a standard DHS power of attorney?

 

Thanks for your help

[USCONGUZ]

Dear CFL,

 

For most applicants, the waiting time for an overcome appointment is currently longer than 1 month. As a result, many applicants are being given the option to mail documents to the Consulate in Guangzhou.

 

The applicant, the designated attorney, or the petitioner can mail the documents, as long as the documents are submitted along with the original blue sheet and the white sheet with the mailing address (if permission to mail in documents was given via e-mail, you need not have this white sheet). If an applicant has been unable to make an overcome appointment for over a month and does not have a white address sheet to mail in documents, please contact us first to see if the applicant can mail documents in. Applicants should NEVER have to pay to obtain this white address sheet.

 

Please be aware that if an applicant makes an overcome appointment, the response time (with limited exceptions) is usually two business days. However, if you mail in documents, there is no guarantee of the response time.

 

If a visa appointment has been made for an applicant, the designated attorney can turn in documents. Lawyers can also receive visas if they have a notarized letter that gives them permission, as well as the applicant¡¯s Chinese ID card, appointment letter, and China Post receipt.

 

Sincerely,

USCONGUZ

[IluvmyLi]

Hello USCONGUZ,

 

You are saying the wait time currently for an overcome appointment is one month.

 

I have been calling 4 times a day for one week and everytime I'm told there is no available slots for appointments.

 

Can you please tell me if slots are updated as a large group once per month or if they are added a few at a time to the availablitliy on a daily basis? Is there a certain day of the week which is better to call?

 

Thanks much!

[USCONGUZ]

Dear CFL,

 

According to current standard practice, overcome appointments are generally updated as a group on a monthly basis and most overcome appointments are released at the end of the month. For example, most overcome appointments for the month of April will be released at the end of February (a little more than 1 month in advance).

 

 

Sincerely, USCONGUZ

[warpedbored]

The customer service phone line has had numerous complaints since it's inception. Some of the complaints are, people being on hold and cut off after burning up paid minutes, petitioners being told no English speaking representatives are available, being told no overcome appointments are available. To be frank it looks like a scam to milk people out of paid minutes. Most CFL members agree you can get more and better information by calling DOS. Unfortunately there seems to be no alternative for making an appointment to submit overcome documents. I assume the consulate is aware of these problems. I am sure all of us here would like to know what steps are being taken to improve this service.

Edited February 11, 2007 by warpedbored (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

I was hoping the consulate would answer this question. I am bumping it up to ask it again.